This invention relates to injection molded products. More specifically, and without limitation, this invention relates to detectable signage and a method for producing injection molded detectable signage.
Attachable and detachable signage is used in countless applications and in countless industries to inform personnel of relevant information. As one example, in the food manufacturing or meat processing industry, signage is often attached to shipments of incoming raw materials or outgoing finished products to identify: (a) the date the shipment was received, (b) whether the shipment was inspected or who inspected the shipment, (c) the origin of the shipment, (d) the contents of the shipment, (e) the destination of the shipment, as well as countless other information and/or a marking area. While this signage varies in size, shape and design, conventionally much of this signage takes the form of a plastic injection molded tag having a label positioned thereon which contains the relevant information. While this conventional plastic injected molded signage may adequately inform personnel of relevant information contained thereon, problems still exist.
As an example, a problem exists when conventional plastic injection molded signage falls into these shipments.
In particular, in the food manufacturing or meat processing industry, a common method of inspecting these shipments for contaminants is through the use of automated metal detectors or magnetic material detectors. As conventional plastic injection molded signage does not contain metallic material, should a conventional plastic injection molded signage fall into the shipment, the signage will not be detected. This inability to detect the presence of contaminating signage allows for an unacceptably high risk of contamination, or requires additional manual inspection steps which increases processing time and costs. Therefore a need exists in the art for signage that is more easily detected.
Thus, a principal object of the present invention is to provide signage that is detectable.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing detectable signage.
These and other objectives, features and advantages will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art based on the following written description.